1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printer to print by switching the print system according to characteristics of a print medium or printing information and more particularly to a printer using a heat transfer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The heat transfer system of the printer includes a direct transfer system and an intermediate transfer system. In the direct transfer system, a thermal head makes contact with a print medium via a heat transfer film and directly transfers ink of the heat transfer film to the print medium according to the information such as an image and characters.
The direct transfer system uses heat sublimate ink. The heat sublimate ink is excellent in gradation expression due to the ink characteristics. Accordingly, the direct transfer system has an advantage of obtaining a high-quality image. However, the direct transfer system requires a reception layer to receive ink on the surface of a print medium to which an image is transferred. Therefore, the print medium is limited in the direct transfer system. Or, an ink reception layer must be formed on the surface of the print medium in the direct transfer system.
The intermediate transfer system eliminates such faults. In the intermediate transfer system, an image is transferred once to an intermediate transfer film, and then the image is re-transferred to a transferred article at the transfer unit.
The intermediate transfer system has an advantage that the ink reception layer is not indispensable for a print medium. Further, the intermediate transfer system has an advantage that the fault at time of image transfer onto the uneven portion of the surface of the print medium is removed. Furthermore, the intermediate transfer system, compared with the direct transfer system, has an advantage that the overall of a card print medium can be printed easily.
On the other hand, the intermediate transfer system requires an intermediate transfer film. Therefore, the intermediate transfer system has a disadvantage that the running cost is higher than the running cost of the direct transfer system. Further, a transfer unit uses a heater, so that the intermediate transfer system has a disadvantage that the start time of the printer is long. Therefore, either of both systems has merits and demerits.
Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Disclosure 2002-292916 and Japanese Patent Application Disclosure 2003-048336, for example, disclose a printer to switch the print system between the direct transfer system and the intermediate transfer system according to characteristics of a print medium and an object. The printer can print on the print medium with an optimum print system and furthermore can decrease the running cost accompanying printing.
However, the printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Disclosure 2002-292916 includes individually a direct transfer unit and an indirect transfer unit. And, an operator attaches selectively the units to the mounting unit of the printer and switches the print system to the intermediate transfer system or the direction transfer system. Therefore, a problem arises in the printer that the operator needs a unit exchange operation and the exchange operation requires much labor and time.
Further, the printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Disclosure 2003-048336 includes a drive system of an intermediate transfer ribbon and a drive system of a direct print medium. The drive units switches the print system to the intermediate transfer system or the direct transfer system under the switching control. Therefore, a problem arises in the printer that the constitution is complicated and the cost is high.